AVG Internet Security 8.5

AVG Internet Security Version 8.5 (one-year subscription for one computer: US$55; one year for three computers: $75, as of 5/21/2009), has been steadily building a solid following for its protection products. Unlike some security vendors, AVG allows you to opt in to various partnerships (as opposed to opting out), such as the Yahoo Search [...]

G-Data Internet Security 2010

G-Data Internet Security 2010 (one-year, one-user license: $30; one-year, three-user license: $40 as of 5/21/09) may not yet be a household name, but this German security suite–now sold in the United States, too–was among the best on malware detection and removal. In a number of categories G-Data scored the best test results and offered [...]

CheckPoint ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 8.0

CheckPoint ZoneAlarm Extreme Security 8.0 (one-year three-user license: $70 as of 5/21/2009) provides solid firewall protection along with a host of other security functions If anything, ZoneAlarm Extreme may be guilty of having too many pieces: It bundles together the basic security suite with the unique features of ID theft mitigation and recovery service, [...]

PC Tools Internet Security

PC Tools Internet Security (US$60 for up to three computers for one year as of 5/21/09) offers a decidedly mixed bag of protections. Symantec acquired the security vendor in 2008 to increase its worldwide market share with consumers in new and emerging regional markets. Since the acquisition, PC Tools maintains a separate development operation from [...]

Securing the Desktop

Given rapidly evolving dangers such as Conficker and silent threats that lurk on otherwise innocent Web sites, having traditional antivirus software on your desktop isn’t enough today. You need a suite of tools–antivirus, firewall, antispam, antiphishing–to combat the traditional threats, stop the new Web threats, and manage all the spam and phishing sites that clog [...]